Realigning method and apparatus



May 12, 1953 F. R. PAINTER 2,637,943

REALIGNING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed March 9, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 UNLOAD INVENTOR. Ffimvc/s A? p/W/VTER May 12, 1953 F. R. PAINTER REALIGNING METHOD AND APPARATUS '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9, 1950 m R r mm 3 m. m C M m May 12, 1953 F. R. PAINTER REALIGNING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed March 9, 1950 S Sheets-Sheet 3 V3" 1E L V6 V| V5 V2 ISO AIR 151 VACUUM INVENTOR.

Fen/v05 fi. Pam 15/2 ArronrxvEY Patented May 12, 1953 REALIGNING Mn'rnon AND APPARATUS Francis It. Painter, "Corning, N. Y., assignor to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 9, 1950 Serial No. 148,608

2 Claims.

1 "The present invention relates to a realigning apparatus and is of particular utility in the realigning or" an element, sealed into a wall of a glass article, while the glass adjoining the element is still in a workable condition following glass and becomes embedded in it as the glass reaches a predetermined softened condition. Some trouble is encountered, however, in that unless there is very accurate control of the application of heat duringthe sealing operation, the glass immediately surrounding the button sags an undesirable extent. in manually sealiug in buttons it has been the usual practice to reach into the interior of the tube and in one manner or anotherraise the button and the surroundin softened glass to the desired position while the glass is still workable. Such a procedure is, however, impracticable if the sealing operation is to be effected automatically.

The object of the present invention, there- "fore, is the provisionof an apparatus by means of which the button and the surrounding softened glass may be automatically seized and moved to a desired position while the surrounding glass is still workable.

' A preferred form of apparatus embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in plan of a form of such apparatus embodying a rotatable table.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View showing the manner of indexing the-table of Fig. 1 and the cam drive arrangement employed in initiating theindexing operation; in controlling the actuation of equipment at the sealing and button- .aligning positions; and in controlling the connection and disconnection of a source of vacuum to a chuck employed to effect lifting of the button and the surrounding softened glass at the latter position.

fill

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken generally on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. i is an enlarged, side-elevational view, partly in section, of the button-aligning equipment and a fragment of a tube, shown in section, having a button sealed therein.

, Fig. 5 is a view, in sectional elevation, of one oi a number of such valves actuated by the cam of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6' is a diagram, with certain element shown in section, of the piping for the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Fig. 3, it represents a base provided with a fixed vertical column i2. A table [3 has a hub it rotatable about column i=2, and'has depending rollers is by means of which the table is indexed by a cooperative indexing wheel It in a conventional fashion each time a shaft I! supporting such wheel is rotated a single revolution. The precise method of indexing is best illustrated in Fig. 2, which illustrates wheel It as "adapted to be periodically driven by means of a single revolution clutch [9 each time an associated pneumatic unit 23 is operated to release the clutch-driven ratchet disc 28. Rotation of the clutch I9 is effected by means of a belt24 through a gear-reduction unit 23 continuously driven by a motor .30.

Arranged on table it are ten circular tube chucks 22 adapted to be successively indexed through positions 1 to 10 as designated in Fig. 1. Any or all of positions 2 to 9 may be provided with equipment supported on a turret 25 having a hub 25 surrounding the upper portion of column i2 and locked against relative rotary move ment by keys 2?. Such equipment may bethat described and claimed in the pending application of Bay A. Hinkley, Serial No. 140,509, filed January 25, 1950. The hub 26 is suspended from a hell it which may be vertically moved by means of a hand wheel 3i to adjust the height of tarret 25 to that most suitable for the size of ware carried by the chucks 22.

The present invention relates only to the equipment provided at positions 8 to 9. In position 8 a bracket 35 extends upward and outward from turret 25, and at its free end carries a differential-pressure pneumatic unit 3? having a proiecting piston rod equipped with a burner 39 supplied with a combustion mixture by a flexible tube 42 and adapted to direct flames toward the wall area of a tube it having a perforation occupied by a button 4| to be sealed thereinto. The lower end of unit 3? is continuously supplied with air via a flexible tube 43 to mainsition shown by a spring tain burner 30 in a retracted position except at such times that air is being supplied to the upper end of the unit via a flexible tube or conduit 44, as more fully explained hereinafter.

Carried on the underside of turret 2'5 by a bracket 45 is a second pneumatic unit 46, having on the free end of its piston rod a burner 48. As with the case of unit 37, the piston rod of unit 46 is normally held in its retracted position by fluid continuously supplied to its burner end. Unit 46 is adapted to advance burner 48 through a chuck 22 into close proximity of the inner-wall surface of a tube 40 opposite the surface toward which burner 39 is directed at such times that a chuck is indexed thereover.

A pneumatic unit i (Fig. 6) similar to unit 46 and provided with a burner 50 similar to burner 48, is provided at the button-aligning position (position 9). The button-aligning equip ment at position 9 also includes a bracket I2! (Figs. 1 and 4), extending from turret and provided with a differential-pressure pneumatic unit I22 similar to the unit 31, but equipped with a vacuum bell I24 adapted to be lowered by the unit into engagement with a tube 40 and over a sealed-in button, such as button 4|, aligned thereunder whenever fluid is supplied to the upper end of the unit. Vacuum bell I24 is activated by connection of a vacuum source thereto at the proper time to pneumatically lift the button and the surrounding softened glass to their original position with respect to the unsoftenecl glass of the tube wall, as will be more fully described hereinafter. A face plate I25 on bell I24 initially spaced from the button M is encoun- 1 tered thereby and prevents its being lifted above the desired position.

Timing Timing of the operations of pneumatic units 23, 31, 45, I20, and I22, and of the connection of vacuum to bell I24, is effected by means of like cam-actuated valves such, for example, as the valve V shown in Fig. 5. Valve V in its normal position blocks air suppliedto its intake pipe I3I from passage therethrough by means of a member I32 of a slide. I33 normally held in the po- I34. On the other hand, at this position a pipe I35 for connection while member I32 opens a passage in the valve between pipes I3I and I35, thus admitting operating air to the end of the unit to which pipe I35 is connected.

Referring momentarily to Fig. 2, it will be noted that cam I and other similar cams for controlling the operation of the described pneumatic units are carried by a shaft I44 adapted to be continuously driven by motor 30 through a worm drive assembly I45 and a drive shaft I46 extending therefrom to the speed-reducing unit 29.

Referring now to Fig. 6, it will be observed that :the forward end of each of the described pneumatic units 31,- 46, I20 and I22 is normally supplied with air from supply line I50, whereby the pistons are normally maintained retracted withsupply line in the units. Owing to greater exposed piston surface area available to air supplied in the rear ends of these units, they will advance their pistons whenever air is supplied to their rear ends, even though air continues to be supplied to their forward ends. Air is selectively supplied to the rear ends of the above-referred to units from I'50 via laterals thereof including valves individual to the units similar to valve V. For example, unit 31 is supplied with air over a path including lateral I52, valve VI and. conduit 44 at such time that the cam I40 (Fig. 2), associated with valve VI operates it. In a like fashion air is selectively supplied to the rear ends of units I20 and I22 under control of their respective valves V4 and V5.

In a similar fashion control of the connection of the vacuum line I5I to bell I24 is under control of valve V6 in line I2I.

Fluid is likewise supplied to the forward end of the table-indexing pneumatic unit 23 under control of a cam-actuated valve V2 to cause rod 23 to release cam 20 of the single-revolution clutch I3 (Fig. 2). Return of rod 23 is by means of a spring I54 when the supply of fluid to unit 23 is discontinued.

Operation Following the arrival of a tube such as 40 at position 8 with a button such as M deposited in an aperture in the tube wall, units 31 and 46 under control of valves VI and V3 advance their burners 39 and 48 toward opposite sides of button 4I and the surrounding glass to effect a seal therebetween. After the seal is completed, valves VI and V3 are permitted to restore, thus enablin the restoration of burners 39 and 48 to their normal positions as shown in Fig. 3. Following restoration of burners 39 and 48, valve V2 is actuated and supplies operating fluid to pneumatic unit 23, thereby causing table I3 to index the chuck, supporting tube 40, from a position 8 to position 9.

In position 9, unit I20 (Fig. 6), under control of valve V4, moves its burner 50 to the position shown in Fig. 4 to apply annealing flames .to the sealed-in button M and the surrounding glass, while unit I2 2, under control of valve V5. lowers bell I24 to the position shown in Fig. 4 over the button and the surrounding softened glass of tube 40. Under control of cam-actuated valve V6 the associated vacuum supply line I5I is momentarily connected via such valve and conduit I2'I with bell I24, which thereby lifts the button and the surrounding workable glass to the desired positon with respect to the tube wall. A moment later valve V6 cuts off the vacuum supply from bell I24 and exhausts the chuck to atmosphere. Subsequently, unit I20 restores burner 50 to its normal position, While unit I22 raises bell I24 to its initial position. The path is thus cleared for the movement of the chuck and tube to the unloading position (position 10) during the subsequent indexing of table I3.

I claim:

1. A machine for sealing an electrically coniductive element or the like into that wall portion of a glass article surrounding a perforation in which such element has been deposited, including means for heating the element and the article wall solely in the area immediately surrounding the perforation to soften such glass and effect a weld between it and the element but leaving the area outside of said first-mentioned area in unsoitened condition, the softening of the area immediately surrounding the perforation causing a displacement thereof from its desired position, a vacuum bell for restoring the softened glass and the "element welded thereto to said desired position before the softened glass becomes set, said vacuum bell having an annular bottom surface of suiicient extent to engage the unsoftened glass; the softened glass surrounded thereby, and the element, means for moving said bell to bring its bottom surface into engagement with the I unsoitened glass, and means for connecting a source of vacuum to said bell to pneumatically bring the softened glass and the element into engagement with its bottom surface.

The method of repositioning a metal button that has been fused; to the glass immediately bounding an aperture through a glass article wall in which such button has been deposited. while such glass'is still workable following fusion thereof toth'ebutton, said fusion resulting in the displacement of such workable glass from a desired position with respect to the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,059,767 Bausch Nov. 3, 1936 2,398,525 Gray Apr. 16, 1946 2,410,345 Hinkley d Oct. 29, 1946 2,485,769 Phelps W Oct. 25, 1949 2,492,162 Litton Dec. 2'7, 1949 2,494,870 Greiner Jan. 17, 1950 

